This course gives an overview of the observations and theory
of binaries with compact stars
i.e. binaries with white dwarfs and/or neutron stars
It consists of 14 two-hour Lectures and 12 two-hour Exercise Classes
The lecture notes indicated below concern the first part of the
course, and will be updated (from the old version) as the course proceeds.
The teachers are Frank Verbunt and Gijs Nelemans; the teaching assistants are Andrei Igoshev and Martha Saladino
A grade will be assigned on the basis of the answers to the problems (0.7) and an
oral presentation on a topic in compact binaries (0.3).
The course has 6.0 ECTS
The following book -- not required! -- provides some background to the topics of the course
| Rosswog and Brueggen | Introduction to High Energy Astrophysics | 34.12 UK Pounds |
all lectures are in Hg02.702, Fridays 13h45-15-30
| teacher | day, time, room | topic of lecture/exercise | Lecture notes | hand in by: |
| FV | Fr 6 Feb | Historical introduction | Chapter 1 | |
| FV | Fr 13 Feb | The gravitational 2-body problem | Chapter 2 | |
| AI | Fr 13 Feb | Angular momentum; elliptic orbit | problems 6,7,8,9 | Fr 20 Feb |
| FV | Fr 20 Feb | Observing binaries: orbit | Chapter 3.1, 3.2 | |
| AI | Fr 20 Feb | Orbit; Lagrangian points | Problems 11,12,13 | Fr 6 Mar |
| FV | Fr 6 Mar | Observing binaries: eclipses | Chapter 3.3 | |
| AI | Fr 6 Mar | Eclipses | Problem 17 | Fri 13 Mar |
| FV | Fr 13 Mar | Structure of degenerate stars | Chapter 6.1 | |
| AI | Fr 13 Mar | Angular momentum; elliptic orbit | problems 18,19 | Fri 20 Mar |
| FV | Fr 20 Mar | Structure Computation | Chapter 6.2 | |
| AI | Fr 20 Mar | Computing a white dwarf | 27 Mar | |
| GN | Fr 27 Mar | Accretion onto WD/ND (i) | tbd | |
| AI | Fr 27 Mar | Computing a neutron star | We 15 apr | |
| GN | Th 16 Apr | Accretion onto WD/ND (ii) | tbd | |
| MS | We 22 Apr | He Nova ignition mass (i) | tbd | |
| GN | Th 23 Apr | Binary evolution (i) | tbd | |
| MS | We 29 Apr | He Nova ignition mass (ii) | tbd | |
| GN | Th 30 Apr | Binary evolution (ii) | tbd | |
| FV | Th 21 May | CVs and X-ray Binaries (i) | tbd | |
| FV | We 27 May | AM CVn's and UCXBs (ii) | tbd | |
| MS | Th 28 May | tbd programming? | tbd | |
| MS | We 3 Jun | writing observing proposal? | tbd | |
| GN | Th 4 Jun | Double white dwarfs, double neutron stars | tbd | |
| MS | We 10 Jun | tbd | tbd | |
| GN | Th 11 Jun | Mergers | tbd | |
| MS | We 17 Jun | tbd | tbd | |
| GN | Th 18 Jun | Gravitational waves | tbd | |
| MS | We 24 Jun | tbd | tbd | |
| GN | Th 25 Jun | Population synthesis | tbd |